Socio-Economics & History Commentary

Mainstream Media Admits CIA Not Only Armed ‘Moderate’ Rebels It Paid them Monthly Salariesby Rachel Blevins, http://thefreethoughtproject.com/The CIA reportedly paid monthly salaries to the “moderate Syrian rebels” it was training and arming in an attempt to overthrow Assad in Syria.–The United States not only paid to arm and train “moderate Syrian rebels” as part of a CIA program that did much more to aid ISIS than it did to fight it, but it also reportedly paid the rebels monthly salaries. The Washington Post cited its infamous anonymous U.S. officials in a report on Wednesday, which claimed that President Trump “has decided to end the CIA’s covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad, a move long sought by Russia.”–While the Trump Administration has yet to confirm the news, it is important to remember that the United States’ efforts to train and equip “moderate Syrian rebels” were originally introduced by the Obama Administration in 2013 as a means to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
–When reporting on the suspected change in policy, mainstream media outlets were quick to follow the Washington Post by crediting Russia—not for helping in the fight against ISIS, but for influencing the decision to let Assad stay in power. The New York Times wrote, “But the decision is bound to be welcomed by the Russians.” USA Today described the move as a “victory for Assad, Russia and Iran.” And The Hill reported that this was “a victory for Russia, which has called for the move for years.”–While a report from Financial Times described Russia as “Assad’s main backer,” and said that the country has “long pushed for the US to end support,” it added another element to the story by taking a look at the Syrian rebels who “have clung to a program of CIA assistance as a symbol of US support in their battle against Bashar al-Assad’s regime.”
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Financial Times reported that these rebels claim “their CIA interlocutors had not confirmed any change” to the policy that was originally set by the Obama Administration, seeking the overthrow of Assad.–read more.